Thursday, August 13, 2009

Anastasia's Fault

Did I ever tell you about Anastasia's Fault? No? Oh dude, I've totally been meaning to tell you all about them, but I keep forgetting. I know, I know, we've both been busy. And you know I have a severe case of mommy brain.

Anyway, Anastasia's Fault is a band from Casper, Wyoming. We played Casper back in mid July. I don't think I blogged about it, though I may have twittered--or is it tweeted-- about it. Oh you're not following me on twitter? My handle is @EMQ, in case you're into that kind of thing.

Anyway, we played the Beartrap Summer Festival in Casper, and it was a one of gig, so bringing someone with us to watch the bean was not an option. I asked Jana, one of the fesival organizers, if she could recommend someone to watch the baby, and she suggested two teenage sisters, Anastasia and Angie, who were playing earlier in the day in a band called Anastasia's fault.

I was a little wary of having teenagers watch my bean, but the gig was early enough that they wouldn't have to put her to bed, and outdoors (this baby is a total outdoor lover. Take her out of the house and put her on a blanket, and all traces of fussiness dissapear) so I felt okay about it.

So we got to the gig, which was not in Casper proper. It was on top of a mountain. I had not envisioned this. Instead I had assumed that we would be in downtown Casper, maybe in some kind of park.

New Rule: When bringing a baby to the gig, check out all the details of the gig.

The mountain wasn't a problem when we got there. It was warm and sunny, and we set up the pack-n-play under a tent behind the stage, and met Anastasia and Angie, along with their brother JD and their mom Rhondasue...it was, in fact, all good. Lisel took right to Angie:

Don't they look happy!

And I got the lowdown on Anastasia's Fault. You see, Anastasia had always wanted a fiddle and when she got one she took right to it. In fact, she started winning fiddle competitions. This inspired Dad to bust out his mandolin so he could jam along with his daughter. And then her brother JD to picked up the banjo and he got so good he started winning competions. Then mom, Rhondasue, started playing bass and Angie started singing and playing guitar and bam! a family band was born.

And it was all Anastasia's fault you see.

So I leave the baby with the family to go get ready for the gig and it's so warm that I'm wearing a short sleeved shirt and I'm feeling good. When I come back to check on them right before I go on Rhondasue has Lisel cradeled in her arms, asleep. It turns out she got fussy and luckily Rhondasue used her momma skills to get her to sleep. So I go onstage feeling good and relaxed.

For about 10 minutes.

Because 10 minutes into the show the sky grows dark and suddenly the most powerful blast of cold wind comes shooting down into the meadow where we're playing. And it brings with it a cloud of dust so thick that for a moment I think that they're going to have to call the show on account of flying dirt.

A couple of minutes later, the rain starts.

And my baby is outside.

And I'm freaking.

Because I kind of flaked and didn't check out the details of the gig. And then when I was at the gig I flaked yet again and didn't remember that mountain weather is crazy. Like the one time when we played that Strawberry Festival, in June, and it did this alternating sunny/snow thing all afternoon.

And because mountain people are used to this whole crazy, turn on a dime, now it's hot, now it's cold and rainy thing we didn't stop the show. Some people left but a lot of people stayed. In the rain. They just put on ponchos, or not, and dug on the band. In the cold. And the rain. Dude, folks from Wyoming are tough.

So, yeah, I was freaking.

Luckily Lisel was being watched by Wyomans--or is it Wyomingans--who knew what to do. At the first blast of cold, cold wind they took the baby to their minivan. When the rain started, I didn't have the presence of mind to send Bernie to let them on the bus (but Bernie did) where they played with her until we were done.

So, depite my poor preparation everything worked out great, thanks to a family band named Anastasia's Fault. Which is why I've been meaning to tell you about them and why you should totally go check them out on myspace.